Tears for a Bellflower
by ILycorisI
Summary: What if deep in Kikyou's past there was another hidden tragedy? A story of a forbidden love and a fateful encounter, this is the miko and taiyoukai's story.


He had betrayed her.

He had ripped his deadly claws right through her flesh.

_He_ had betrayed _her_.

Stealing the Shikon no tama with no sign of remorse he had left her here to bleed, her red trail of regret and pain still flowing from her shoulder as she tried to stand.

"Damn you Inuyasha!" Was all she could yell out as tears blinded her sight.

"Get up,"

A cold new voice broke through her burning emotions, it was powerful and calm almost inhuman.

Before Kikyou could stand much less see who had called her she felt herself being pulled upright and into someone's chest. The last of her tears went away as she pushed against the unknown figure and looked up, it was clear now this "man" was a taiyoukai a powerful being she was in no shape to fight.

Still instinctively she reached for her arrows before wincing in pain and grabbing onto the nearest tree to help her stand.

"Who are you?" She murmured hatred and betrayal still filling her eyes. But those feeling weren't for this man,

"You shouldn't be asking that, I could easily kill you right now and yet instead of running you stay and ask me questions."

His voice was unwavering as he looked directly at her, never before had he seen a woman such as this. It was as though if you touched her she would turn to dust in the wind, and yet he felt immense power welling up inside this miko. Fragile yet beautiful…

"I have nothing to lose now, in moments I will die, you killing me would only hasten that." Kikyou replied with no sense of fear, she had lost everything just then, dying would only take her away from all that.

The two of them turned as they heard the cries of the villagers not far away.

"Inuyasha he has come to kill us!"

Fear gripped her heart as she heard her people desperately trying to escape the hanyou's rage.

"That bastard… this is what he wanted all along!" Kikyou yelled not caring that the blood from her shoulder wound only increased with each passing moment, all she wanted was Kaede and the villagers to be safe there was nothing else she could do, no where else she could go.

"Stop, are you really going to risk your life just for the sake of those people? If you took the time surely you could easily heal yourself."

Sesshoumaru reasoned to which Kikyou slowly replied,

"I could, but what would my life be worth if I couldn't even save those most precious to me? Besides why worry about a half-dead miko like myself?"

Kikyou questioned, Sesshoumaru froze for a moment and then calmly responded.

"I just think it's foolish to see such power go to waste."

As soon as the words emerged from his mouth he knew he was wrong. What was the reason he wished this human to live? She was nothing to him, nothing…

Kikyou smiled sadly before pulling something out of her sleeve and quickly passing it to him.

"True I am a fool, and I haven't long to live at all, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have even been able to stand. This is my thanks,"

She nodded in parting before running with the last of her strength to the village blood trailing behind her.

_It was meant for him but… it seems that my fate was never to be with him in the first place. _

As he watched Kikyou run off he looked down into the palm of his hand where a single purple bellflower lay swaying in the wind. "What a waste," He murmured before walking the opposite way into the forest.

_What a waste…_

----------------

Sesshoumaru now stood underneath the branches of the Goshinbuko tree, staring up at his half-brother that appeared to be in a peaceful slumber, impaled by the miko's arrow to the tree.

"So, it was you. You who killed her."

The taiyoukai said up to the lifeless body of Inuyasha, earlier he had heard the cries of a young girl as she called Kikyou who had already passed on to wake up.

Right then he knew he must find the one who killed her, but it seemed she had taken him with her in the process.

A sudden wave of hatred rose in the bile of Sesshoumaru's stomach that even startled the taiyoukai, as he had never been one to have such strong emotions.

True his brother had taken away his only father, true he had defiled the name of the western lords with his human blood, Sesshoumaru knew all of these things and for that he had long hated his brother. But somehow imagining this beast taking away the already frail life of the miko filled him with more rage then he ever imagined he could harbor.

"I don't know what your reasons are, or what relationship you had with her but for this may your soul rot forever more."

He said with so much feeling he thought the words might burn up themselves.

"Anou… you-you knew Kikyou-onee-sama didn't you?" Sesshoumaru turned around only to come face to face with the small girl he had heard crying before. Her raven colored hair was only a bit lighter then Kikyou's and an eyepatch covered her right eye.

"I did,"

"We-well she told me if anyone besides the villager's came to see this spot to tell them "farewell"." Kaede finished her voice still shaking out of fright and confusion.

_Whatever could onee-sama have to do with this demon? _

"Thank you,"

The words startled her as she looked up into the taiyoukai's golden eyes, was that sorrow she saw?

"Where is your sister's grave?"

"This way."

--------------

_So your final resting-place is in the village you so loved. _

Sesshoumaru knelt down beside the small shrine where Kikyou's ashes lay as he placed her flower on the mound.

Never had Sesshoumaru ever bowed before anyone, yet here he was honoring a mere mortal's grave.

No she wasn't a mere mortal she was Kikyou. A bellflower forever more,

Kaede watched as the strange man got up and left towards the western edge of the horizon. She then peered down to where the small Kikyou flower lay a luminescent drop of water shining on its pale surface.

Kaede thought back to a time she had once heard that if a taiyoukai ever cried it's tears would forever preserve the thing they landed on.

"So he wasn't a bad person," She thought aloud as she sat beside her sister's grave.

_Perhaps he too loved onee-sama._

As Sesshoumaru walked along, a light breeze carried the bellflowers of autumn to him. He turned around as his ears caught a light sound in the rustling of the wind, it sounded like "Thank you,"


End file.
